Meet Ross Arden Harkness, mild mannered entertainer with a thespian ilk. You can catch Harkness, the Los Angeles-born San Jose resident meandering the stage scene of Milpitas, Fremont, San Jose, and all points around, as he plies his avocation before an appreciative public.

Award winning performer-director Harkness is the target of this month's artist profile and was gracious enough to sit with this reporter and chat about his life and theater over lunch. It turns out Harkness is quite the affable raconteur whose wit and banter engaged me for well neigh three hours, a feat he accomplished with ease.

To see Harkness work one could feel he's been giving us the business, that is, he's been in "The Business" for most of his life. Yet, he's a relative newcomer. He had exposure to theatrics during high school, but after graduation and then college, it was time for full-time employment, time to make a living.

Harkness received his bachelor of arts degree in management in 1996 and a master's degree in organizational management in 1998. With his evenings free, he was talked into auditioning by a friend's mother, who happened to be directing the Santa Clara Players' production of "Second Time Around." He won a part and theater began to gush about in his system.

With a taste for theater and a degree in administration, Harkness joined the board of Santa Clara Players, noting the similarity of its function to that of a dentist: painful but necessary. However, his heart was in all things performance, not administrivia, and after two years, he stayed with the stage.

While Harkness regularly demonstrates his talents and skills, he informed me he is not formally trained. He did enjoy a few drama classes in school but his focus to success was through inherited skill and observation.

"I think a lot of it is luck, and watching other people. I learn so much from other people. I learn so much from watching movies..." and regardless of how well one does in a part, "...you can always learn, you can always get better. The greatest way to learn is to a) do, and b) watch other people." Harkness continued the lesson, "I'm still learning. As an actor, I like a director who challenges me, who has a definite vision but who also allows you to develop within that vision."

That philosophy has paid off for Harkness and the attending public. His success has afforded us opportunities to enjoy live theater and quality entertainment. We've seen Harkness roam the stage in a toga ("Anthony and Cleopatra"), bluster as Mr. Bumble ("Oliver!"), bully others as Brock ("Born Yesterday"), and brood as Scrooge ("A Christmas Carol"). In each role we're privy to an engaged passion. Harkness embraces every character not just presents them with third-person detachment.

Harkness wrote his first short play in 2001 and directed his first production ("The Wisdom of Eve") in 2002 for Broadway West Theatre. "Eve" garnered him best director credits and in 2003, he received the best actor award for his role as George in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

In almost a decade of serious theatrical work, Harkness has filled in every function necessary to make a production successful.

"I've operated most everything, I've worked backstage, I've stage managed. I've property managed. I've run lights and I've run sound... I've designed sound. I haven't designed lighting, and I haven't designed sets... but I'll chip in and help build a set."

In 2002 Harkness took a sabbatical from work and concentrated on imagination and ingenuity. "That was one of the greatest creative years of my life." He was acting, writing, and directing, staying focused on his love of the stage. He set aside three months to write the well received one-act play ÔRegrets.'"

Harkness is reaping the rewards of his developed talent and skills, acquiring juicy character roles.

"More often than not, I'm playing characters 20 years older than I am. Which means," he quipped, "...in 20 years, I can still play those parts! I won't be putting as much white in my hair; it will already be there." He wryly noted, "I've noticed over the last 10 years I'm putting less and less white in. First off there's less hair, and what's there is already gray."

We've seen him in comedies, dramas and musicals and I asked which was his favorite form.

"I have to say drama because it's more of a challenge. Comedy sort of naturally happens." And of the various opportunities to entertain, he added, "I've done writing and directing, but my first love is acting."

He's learning his craft well. During the luncheon discussion, which included history, philosophy, world affairs and lunch, we chatted about the occasional mishap or two that may occur both in front and behind the curtain. It appears to be helpful to be good at improv and adlibs, especially when props go missing and actors exit the stage off-cue and parts of the set drop. Harkness embraces the experience when things go awry.

"Actually, they're fun. They're scary as hell but when you get out of them they're the best thing in the world... It's an art unto itself to be able to save things. There are some people who can do it, they're good at improv."

Speaking of the talents he's worked with, his appreciation showed.

"I've had the good fortune to work with a lot of good actors and work with them in a lot of different situations... and a lot of new actors, too."

Harkness has a good understanding about his contributions to the stage and theater in general.

"I really appreciate the audiences who come out and support us... Many houses have a large audience base and that sense of appreciation is gratifying and humbling. We're just regular Joes who happen to be lucky enough to get up on stage and perform."

Asked about himself, Harkness allowed, "I believe I am a professional, regardless of whether you get paid. You owe it to everyone, you're on time. I'm a firm believer in having fun in the process. And I'm a person who believes you never stop learning. Never think you've reached a point where you can't learn something. ... For me, a working actor is someone out there who is doing this stuff and learning while doing. Twenty years from now I'll still be learning, I'll be learning from the younger ones. They're all so young. (Thankfully) they can't play the older parts, so I'm in!"

Harkness is appearing as Ebenezer Scrooge in Northside Theatre's production of "A Christmas Carol." In early 2007 we'll see him in the delicious role of Big Daddy in Broadway West Theatre Company's "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

The Bay Area is simply loaded with quality talent. We're fortunate to have them grace our stages week after week, volunteers all, entertaining us from their heart and soul. Keep an eye out for Ross Harkness. He brings much to the stage.

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W. Fred Crow is a local music director and frequent attendee

of the arts. Contact him at

wfredcrow@yahoo.com.